1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to messaging systems of the type that receive voice and/or fax messages intended for a subscriber and that store the messages for later retrieval by the subscriber. More particularly, the present invention is directed to methods and apparatus for notifying a subscriber of such a system, via an e-mail message generated in a subscriber selected language, that the subscriber has received a new voice and/or fax message on the system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Messaging systems of the type that receive voice and/or fax messages and that store the messages for later retrieval by subscribers are known. Unisys Corporation, assignee of the present invention, provides such a system in the form of its Universal Voice Message System ("UVMS"), which is a network application that executes on the Unisys Network Applications Platform ("the NAP system"). The NAP system is a configuration of hardware and software that provides data and voice processing capabilities through applications, such as UVMS, running on a host computer. The NAP system provides the interface between these applications, called network applications, and a telephone network. Presently, the NAP system is implemented on UNISYS A Series and ClearPath HMP computer systems running the MCP operating system. Detailed descriptions of the NAP system and the means for developing network applications, such as UVMS, to run on the NAP system can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,133,004, 5,323,450, 5,384,829, and 5,493,606, as well as in co-pending, commonly assigned applications Ser. No. 08/944,924, filed Oct. 6, 1997, entitled "Enhanced Multi-Lingual Prompt Management In A Voice Messaging System With Support For Speech Recognition," and Ser. No. 08/964,744, filed Nov. 5, 1997, entitled "Methods And Apparatus For Providing External Access To Executable Call Flows Of A Network Application". Each one of these patents and pending applications is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
A network application, like UVMS, comprises one or more call flows that determine the functionality of the application. A call flow defines how a call is processed from the time it is connected until it is disconnected. It determines how the network application will react to various telephony-related events. In particular, a call flow specifies each function or processing step to be executed during a telephone call, the possible results for each function, the decision path to be followed based on the result, and each voice prompt to be played during the course of the telephone call. Certain call flows also interact with a subscriber to allow the subscriber to set certain user-defined parameters and to enable certain features of the network application.
UVMS is a voice/fax messaging system in which subscribers are each assigned a unique mailbox in which received voice and/or fax messages are stored for later retrieval and playback. A system administrator controls the system features that a subscriber is able to use through a mechanism know as a class of service(COS). COSs are sets of features assigned to different mailboxes. COSs are created and assigned to subscribers by the system administrator and enable the administrator to control the subscribers' use of UVMS features. One group of features that can be "enabled" in a given COS relate to the manner in which a subscriber can be informed of the receipt of a voice and/or fax message. For example, a Message Waiting Indicator feature can be enabled to provide either a stutter dial tone or a flashing light on the subscriber's telephone to indicate that a voice message has been received and is ready for playback from the subscriber's mailbox.
Another means by which a subscriber can be notified of a received voice and/or fax message is through a feature known as electronic mail ("e-mail") notification. When the e-mail notification feature is enabled, the system can automatically send an e-mail message to a subscriber-specified e-mail address to notify the subscriber that a voice and/or fax message is waiting on the UVMS system. This feature is useful for subscribers who have ready access to e-mail, but who do not have a telephone with a message waiting light or who may not see that the light is flashing. This feature is also useful for subscribers who may be traveling, but who are able to access their electronic mail remotely. U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,507 describes another voice messaging system that provides this sort of electronic mail notification.
Both the UVMS system and the system described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,507 are capable of sending an e-mail notification in only one language. While this is not a problem for systems that are deployed in small office environments within a single country, it can be a problem for systems deployed in large telephone networks, where the subscribers are likely to speak a number of different primary languages. The present invention provides a solution to this problem.